Grids & Blocks

Wow. It's been awhile. July flew by!

I'm plugging along with the latest issue of  Masterful Scrapbook Design which is all about grids and blocks. The teaches this month are some of my favorite scrappy people: Doris Sander, Tiffany Tillman, Lynnette Penacho, Lisa Dickinson and Summer Fullerton. I guess I shouldn't leave out Debbie Hodge because she's a hands on kinda gal. They've shared some amazing pages and great tips for using grids and blocked page design.

I really love the beautiful hand out (all 200+ pages of it!), but my most favorite thing are the live webinars!  There's one interview with each teacher and then 'Office Hours', which is really a mini critique workshop. They are incredibly informative and a little hilarious, just all around fun. If you can't make it to the live webinars it's okay: The recordings are posted ASAP for forever viewing. One of my favorite things to do is to grab a coffee, stick in my earbuds and scrap while re-listening to the webinars. (click HERE for an example of Office Hours!!)

I really love the how MSD can be either self-paced or in real time. The either-or format fits my crazy life and I can have a toe in the scrappy pool or just dive right in. Also, there is a forum  to hash the issue out as you need and a gallery share your pages and get insightful feedback. Some of the girls share really great lists from each webinar as well so that you don't overlook those really neat tips, tricks, or bullet points from the live conversations.

This issue has been timely because I've been doing a lot of grid and blocked layouts lately. After a couple of weeks of being immersed in grids and blocks, I feel like I have a handle on why my older pages work (or not) and can now scrap with more confidence. I believe that your mood always comes across on a page. Confidence is important!

This page was inspired by Grids and Blocks:

Just Jaimee: Wood + Veneer Journal Cards, Storyteller July Collection; Amber Clerrg: All Glitter & Sparkles Alpha; Fonts: WakingUp, MS Gothic, Pea Shally

This is one of my favorite pages to date. I just love that watercolor brush! It really leads you through the whole page while reinforcing the theme. Breaking the borders with the embellishments keeps the grid from being boring. It's clear, it's focused, it does it's job of capturing the memory visually. You probably don't need me to tell you what the journaling says to understand the story-- Photos from the first time my son was up close and personal with the ocean. MSD really reminds me to scrap with intention.

If you'd like to join me in this issue of MSD you can sign up for Grids and Blocks, you can buy save big bucks by using this link to purchase the rest of this year's issues: Grids & Blocks, Tension & Color. If you want to try just one issue at time at $12.50 an issue, that's fine, too!!  Click Here: Grids & Blocks. I'm just blown away at all the goodies that are packed into this issue and I have a feeling you will be, too!

I hope I see you there!!

♥ Carrie